While history is filled with examples of when mixing two seemingly different things leads to something special (e.g. peanut butter and chocolate), KrissX's word game blend is an incongruous mess.
The Pros
- At 25MB, it doesn't take up much Hard Drive space
- Unscramble over 3,500 words
The Cons
- Slapdash presentation and boring design
- Annoyingly simplistic gameplay
- Did I mention boring design?
Xbox Live Arcade hasn’t exactly been overflowing with puzzle games recently, so it's understandable that developers would want to address a neglected market. KrissX (short for “crisscross”) blends elements from crossword puzzles and Jumble, which are two games typically found in newspapers. Sadly, it would have been better if the developers simply focused on one or the other, as the combination effectively neuters each game's strength.
X Marks the Slop
KrissX is a hodgepodge of questionable design decisions. Case in point: You have an owl mascot that is apparently just there to watch you. It doesn't tell you to “give a hoot, don't pollute,” nor does it try to determine how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. This mascot-without-a-purpose is only one of the strange features in KrissX.
Another bizarre element is the inclusion of only three or four outdoor scenes as backgrounds. Hot air balloons? Winter woods? Sounds great! There are only two voices in the game, one male and one female, both with wildly different accents. Also, the music perfectly fits the action -- for a medieval strategy game. These are examples of a perplexing lack of focus, which is a recurring theme in KrissX. Instead of feeling like the type of game the once-impressive Konami should be attaching its name to, KrissX reeks of a low-budget title thrown together in a week.
Hooked on Phonics
The heart of the problem with KrissX is not its dirt-cheap production values, but the insulting lack of a challenge for those who enjoy word games -- you know, its target audience. Unscrambling words is fine, but since you are given clues, there's little skill involved. Crossword fans won't appreciate having the grid already filled out, which removes the puzzle-solving aspect of their favorite game. There is no obvious advantage to KrissX's design, other than it might appeal to younger audiences scared to do a "real" crossword puzzle.
The main game (or Quest Mode as it’s known) features a series of puzzles that generally share the same format: five or six mixed-up words arranged in a crossword layout. The goal is to swap letters to complete each word as quickly as possible. The fewest number of swaps leads to potential scoring bonuses, but you have to "work" for them by quickly tapping buttons. Colored stars will periodically fall from the puzzle and you must tap the corresponding buttons to activate their bonuses. It's not a welcome distraction.
Letter Imperfect
Perhaps realizing that the standard puzzles would bore most audiences before they finish the Quest Mode's 150 stages, Regolith tried to enhance KrissX's replay value by offering different takes on the basic premise. In between the standard puzzles, you will occasionally have to arrange letters in a set number of moves or arrange a block of jumbled words to fit specific clues. There are also groupings of themed puzzles, such as countries, states, and house and home.
The themes only make the puzzles easier, since you not only get a clue -- as usual -- but you now know the specific category a word is part of. Other options include both a time attack and "timeless" mode, but puzzles tend to repeat, so you'll eventually encounter the same words and same pitiful clues. After seeing such gems as "like seashell" (answer: shell) or "not insincerity" (answer: sincerity), you'll want to move onto something more exciting and intellectually stimulating, like Hangman with your five-year-old sister.
Alphabet Poop
KrissX would be a tough sell at 200 Microsoft points, let alone the eye-popping, head-scratching 800 it actually costs. Plus, there’s the fact that the game’s also available on Facebook where a browser-based trial game lays out everything KrissX could possibly offer you. Wordsmiths new to Xbox Live should seek out Boggle and Scrabble, then hope PopCap brings the far-superior Bookworm and Bookworm Adventures to XBLA in the near-future. KrissX is neither a refreshing take on tried-and-true classics, nor is it addictive, which makes it a poor puzzle game at any price.
Comments
Displaying 1–7 of 7
xiaolin99
the game looks like my nephew's homework..... he's in Grade 7
mathiasreese
This review, quite frankly, is pretty great. Of all the games that G4 Editorial staff have likely reviewed in the network's history that have received the absolute lowest score imaginable, this game absolutely warrants the same score!
Having spent no amount of time with this game myself, I agree that it's a perfect failure, and all of the reviewer's criticisms are valid. Clearly, there are no complaints that give evidence to the reviewer grandstanding and resorting to just taking pot shots at a $10 game, which shows the credibility of the review and its writer.
For example, unscrambling words with the ridiculous clues given creates no challenge for the average player. The clues can be almost uncannily elementary at times, which can indeed make trying to figure out and unscramble words within the given time limit a bit of a snooze fest. Also, it's a $10 game! Where is the award-winning design we all are expecting? I found almost everything offensive about the design, other than the token-collecting mechanic, which was the only thing I disagree about with the review.
G4 is not Destructoid or another gaming blog where people show no credibility whatsoever; it's the most credible and professional web portal. That's what I think, at least. Fortunately, never stooping to amateurish insults, instead giving us worth-while opinions within a review reflects the utmost professionalism whatsoever. This reviewer is grand. I'm so glad they took the game for what it is (crap) and reviewed the material. If you think the design is weak, so do I, because you gave us reasons and suggested that it's more productive to play games with a five year-old.
I'm fine with G4 not liking a game and publishing an honest review, and this review is a perfect example of how reviews should be written, and reflects well on the staff for approving this review for publishing to begin with.
Good show, G4. Very good show.
Adampro123
from the trial i had fun with it besides the owl popping in at bad times. i wouldn't pay 10 bucks but i think its worth 5 bucks, hopefully they cut the price.
flakeyjim
this review isso bad i actually felt the need to create an account just to express how bad the review is!
GameGuyPeter
This review, quite frankly, is pretty awful. Of all the games that G4 Editorial staff have likely reviewed in the network's history that have received the absolute lowest score imaginable, how does this game warrant that same score?
Having spent a fair amount of time with this game myself, I can understand that it's not a perfect effort, and some of the reviewer's criticisms are valid. However, there are some complaints that show that the reviewer is grandstanding and resorting to just taking pot shots at a $10 game, which severely damages the credibility of the review and its writer.
For example, how is unscrambling words with clues given any less challenging for the average player? The clues can be almost too cryptic at times, which can indeed make trying to figure out and unscramble words within the given time limit a bit challenging. Also, it's a $10 game. What kind of award-winning design were you expecting? I didn't find anything offensive about the design, other than the token-collecting mechanic, which was appropriately touched on in the review.
G4 is not Destructoid or another gaming blog; it's supposed to be a credible and at least somewhat professional web portal. That's what I'd like to think, at least. Unfortunately, stooping to amateurish insults within a review doesn't reflect any professionalism whatsoever. It's grandstanding. Take the game for what it is and review the material. If you think the design is weak, fine; tell us why instead of suggesting that it's more productive to play games with a five year-old.
I'm fine with not liking a game and publishing an honest review, but this review is a poor example of not only how reviews should be written, but also reflects poorly on the staff that approved this review for publishing to begin with.
Disappointing show, G4. Very disappointing.
Bub433
i wanna find who made this game and punch them square in the face.
simply a failure
bbonds756
Out of all the PSN/XLB arcade games, why did you feel the need to review this? You guys hardly ever review arcade games.
Displaying 1–7 of 7
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